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Catholic bishops in Brazil have given their support to the massive demonstrations sweeping across the nation, which Pope Francis is scheduled to visit during World Youth Day activities in July.
Millions of Brazilians have taken part in protests over an increase in the cost of public transportation, the high costs of the 2014 World Cup, and government corruption.
Demonstrators have called for more investment in healthcare and education, rather than funding the soccer tournament.
In a statement to the media, the Brazilian bishops’ conference declared “its solidarity and support to these demonstrations, as long as they are peaceful, and which have taken to the streets persons of all ages, especially the youth”.
The bishops’ statement said the demonstrations “show us that it is not possible to live in a country with such inequalities”.
The statement did not mention the World Youth Day, but conference president Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida told reporters it was the government’s responsibility to guarantee the safety of the pilgrims.
Earlier, Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro said that the protests would not affect the youth event, nor the planned visit of Pope Francis.
He described the demonstrations as “in some ways similar to the spirit of WYD — the desire to work together for a new world, for a new life, a new society”.
The archbishop said the local WYD planning committee continues “to focus on the safety of pilgrims as well as the general population during the event”.
“I think that there will not be any safety issues, whether for the Pope or for those in attendance as we are studying everything down to the smallest details, to all of the minutiae,” he said.
Archbishop Tempesta said he had spoken with Brazilian intelligence officials and they had guaranteed that the event would be safe.
Government officials estimated that nearly 1.2 million people participated in protests across the country June 20. The mayors of Brazilian cities, such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, announced June 19 that they were revoking transportation tariff increases.
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Image: The Saratogian
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